48 Hours
"48 Hours" is the eighth episode of Season Five, and the seventy-third overall episode of The Jumping Ground. It first aired on February 6, 2002. Synopsis During a near-fatal pursuit by the Goa'uld gliders, Skipper fails to make it through the Groundbridge before it is destroyed. Now Puff and the team has only 48 hours to reestablish Skipper's energy signature from the temporary memory of the Groundbridge before it's erased. Plot On the planet, Memphis, SG-1 run for the gate while coming under heavy fire from various Al'keshs and Death Gliders. As soon as they've reached the Groundbridge, Rob dials the address for Earth via the DHD. As he does that, Zowie, Lance, Clyde, Puff and Skipper protect Rob and also provide cover fire by shooting back at the Death Gliders. Once the wormhole to Earth is active, Puff orders Zowie, Lance, Rob, and Clyde to go through which they do. As they head off, Puff fires back at a glider but is knocked to the ground with Skipper later helping him. As Puff heads for the Groundbridge, Skipper sees Tanith's Al'kesh emerges and seeing this as an opportunity, uses the Death Glider cannon he has to destroy the ship. As the single shot destroys the center of the Al'kesh, Skipper heads into the wormhole but moments after Skipper has entered the Groundbridge, the Al'kesh crashes into the DHD, causing a huge explosion that cuts off the wormhole to Earth and also severs the connection, presumably destroying the Groundbridge as well. Back on Earth, Puff, Zowie, Lance, Rob, and Clyde are in the Embarkation room, waiting for Skipper to come through but instead they watch as the Groundbridge disconnects before cutting off altogether. Mr. Mandelson arrives in, wondering where Skipper is but Jack states that he doesn't know before stating that Skipper was right behind him. Mandelson, Puff, Zowie, Lance, Rob, Toad and Clyde head for the Stamford Gate's Control Room where Walter Harriman redials the planet in the hope that they'll be able to contact Skipper but Harriman reports that they're getting an "Unknown Error", causing Lance to realize that there's a problem with the Groundbridge, not the base's Dialing computer. With the error still there, Zowie has them abort the sequence and Harriman does so, resulting in the Groundbridge being shut down. Up in the Briefing Room, Rob and Waternoose discuss what happened on the planet with Mandelson believing that the Tok'ra intel was right and that the Goa'uld were scouting the planet for a new Base. Rob states it looks like that way except for the fact that the Tok'ra didn't tell them the identity of the Goa'uld: Tanith. Skipper wanted to kill Tanith to avenge the death of Skipper's former lover Gairwyn (See The Secret Serum). Tanith chased them after a Glider made their position. Zowie soon arrives up, stating that Skipper's energy signature is in inside the gate's energy pattern buffer and grimly concludes that if someone off-world tries dialing into the SBC or if they try dialing out, then Skipper's energy signature will be permanently erased. When Mandelson wonders how they can stop an ongoing wormhole, Zowie tells him that they can do this by moving the Iris back several micrometers which would have the same effect as them actually burying their Groundbridge before informing Mandelson and Lance that SG-2 and SG-5 have told her that they can have it done in an hour. When Mandelson asks how they're getting their people home, Lance realizes that they need the Russians's DHD with Zowie agreeing. Mandelson goes to call the Pentagon while Lance heads off to look at the team schedule to determine how long they've got before the next GBC team is due back. As Zowie oversees things with Harriman, Mandelson informs the President that they're doing everything they can and that it's only a temporary situation before stating that they'll get their best man on the job. Clyde arrives in, telling Mandelson that the next team due is GB-5 who have a scheduled mission report at 4 O'Clock. Mandelson wants to know how the work on the iris with Zowie stating that they're working as fast they can. Mandelson then announces they need a liaison to help get the Russians agree to their demands before telling Rob to pack a bag and that he leaves in half an hour which has Lance stunned. Having been treated for his injury in the Stamford Gate infirmary, Puff arrives into the Control Room and learns from Sam that for all the efforts they're putting into this, they may not be able to get Skipper back. Meanwhile, Lance and Chancellor Paul Davis arrive in Russia in order to negotiate for temporary use of their Groundbridge to allow eight Groundbridge teams to return to Earth, and later for the Dial Home Device needed to rescue Skipper but, for their help the Russians led by Colonel Chekov demand access to all technology retrieved by Stamford Gate authorities. Mandleson arrives in the Mess hall where Puff curses the Jaffa revenge thing and rues the fact that Skipper didn't follow orders. Mandleson insists that Puff go get some sleep and that everything can be done is being done before ordering Puff to get some rest. With that, Mandelson leaves. After obtaining further analysis of the situation from Space Monitor Paul Callaghan, Mandelson arrives into the Briefing Room where he meets Colonel Frank Simmons who is instantly making an enemy of Zowie by pointing out the flaws with the dialing program that she created. Mandelson later summons Simmons to his office and tells him that the other man is not allowed to give Mandelson any kind of orders whatsoever. Simmons insists that he's only bringing Hammond his orders and that Zowie and Clyde have two days to come up with a way to save Skipper or else Mandelson will be ordered to resume sending certain teams through the Groundbridge. In Russia, Lance and Chancellor Davis continue talking with the Russians but things aren't going in the American's favor. Puff meets Harold Maybourne at a gas station causing Puff to react violently over the fact that Puff believed that Maybourne shot him in "Beneath the Surface" with Maybourne insisting that he's innocent. Maybourne then tells Puff that he heard about Skipper and that he hopes the Stamford Gate get him back before warning Puff to be wary of Simmons because according to Maybourne, whatever Simmons has on his mind, it won't be good for either Skipper or Stamford Gate. Maybourne states that if Puff needs him, then Maybourne's at the Accent Inn, using the surname, "Cassidy". Puff wonders if it's David or Shaun Cassidy with Maybourne stating, "Butch". As Maybourne walks off, Puff shouts that Simmons believes that Maybourne is the one who sullied the name of the NID with Maybourne wondering if Puff believes that. Puff admits that he doesn't with Maybourne grimly sating that he knows Simmons well because as it turns out, Maybourne was the one responsible for recruiting Simmons into the NID. As Clyde runs out the door to get ready, Mandelson tells Zowie that she should do whatever she needs to do with Carter getting straight to work. A while later, with Puff, Rob, Lance, Melvin and Chancellor Davis in the Control Room, Lance and Zowie use the DHD to make the necessary modifications to the DHD, by removing the main control crystal, in order to create an event horizon without a wormhole, thereby "tricking" the Groundbridge into reintegrating Skipper. As the DHD powers up, it creates a temporary hole of some sort and Skipper stumbles through the Groundbridge with no perception that something had gone wrong much to the joy of his colleagues. However, the DHD unexpectedly explodes moments later. Skipper then steps off the ramp and states that he has had his revenge - Tanith is dead before wondering what has gone in his absence. As they head off, Mandelson tells Skipper that he owns his life to a Goa'uld despite Skipper being in denial while the DHD soon crackles and fizzles as they walk past it. Category:The Jumping Ground Episodes Category:Season 5 (The Jumping Ground) Category:Episodes focusing on Skipper Category:Episodes focusing on PuffPuff Category:Episodes About Politics